CONTENTS

1    The Function of Angels

2    Angels Are Secret. Service Agents

3    Releasing the Ministry of Angels

4    Releasing the Ministry of Your Angel

5    Cooperating With Your Angel

6    Angels Are Fighting for You!

7    Angelic Deliverance From Death

Personal Prayer of Commitment

1

The Function of Angels

We need to understand the function of God's angels in the earth today for two primary reasons:

1.    To be delivered from fear. Second Timothy 3:1 says, "...In the last days, perilous times will come.” The Amplified Translation of this verse says, "But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]."

Luke 21:26 says of the last days, which we are in, "Men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

2.    To know how to activate the ministry of angels. There are certain things you can do in prayer, praise and faith that will cause the angels to go to work for you. This is evident in Psalm 91:912:

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place,

No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.

In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

During the Persian Gulf crisis, a news commentator read Psalm 91 from The Soldier's Bible on network news. One of the good things to come out of the Persian Gulf crisis was the revival it ignited in several lands, because of many testimonies about God's protection.

Who is your refuge today? What is your shelter? In whom are you trusting? Scripture says angels keep those who:

•    Make God their refuge.

•    Trust in the Lord.

•    Have confidence in God.

•    Know Him.

•    Love Him.

•    Dwell with Him.

The protection of the angels comes when these conditions are met. God says, "I have given My angels the responsibility of guarding, protecting and delivering you," because the word keep means "to guard, protect and deliver."

2

Angels Are Secret Service Agents

The angels of God have an assignment to do much like the Secret Service does for the president of the United States. The Secret Service is an organization of men and women who watch over, guard and protect our president. Whenever he goes anywhere, these agents are present. They have guns under their coats, and in many cases, other concealed weapons should they be needed.

When President Ronald Reagan was shot, we saw the Secret Service agents go into action. One Secret Service agent threw himself over the body of the president. When there is danger in a particular area, the Secret Service, through their intelligence measures, attempt to identify the degree of danger. There have been times when they have advised our presidents, "Don't go to this region at this time, because of the conditions and our inability to secure your safety in that environment."

Think about this in terms of the angels who watch over you. No one curtails the activities of God's angels, except the words that come from your own mouth, which we will discuss in more detail in chapter 4.

After Jesus was born, it was an angel who warned Joseph in a dream to take Mary and the baby and flee from Bethlehem to Egypt. Everything in the natural looked beautiful, but an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream and said:

"Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Matthew 2:13,16

An angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph again in a dream after Herod died.

"Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead."

Matthew 2:20

Angels not only stand in the way to keep evil from you, but they will also speak to you so you can avoid it. Many people have received "guidance" words from angels for protection, such as roads not to travel, situations to avoid, circumstances that are coming of which they have no natural knowledge. These angels are sent from God.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that angels are servants to those who are saved.

Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

Hebrews 1:14

Ministering spirits are "serving" spirits for divine purposes. The angels aid those who are heirs of salvation in the earth.

You have secret agents working for you. Have you recognized their operation in protecting and guarding you?

3

Releasing the Ministry of Angels

The ministry of angels is released through prayer and giving of your firstfruits unto the Lord.

Angelic Intervention for Cornelius

An angel of the Lord came unto Cornelius because of his prayers and generous giving of alms, even though he was unsaved at the time. He didn't know about salvation. All he knew was there was a God, the God of Israel, and he chose to believe in Him.

Let's look at this account in Acts 10:1-8:

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

A devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!"

And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

"Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

"He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do."

And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.

So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Angels know addresses, last names, first names and nicknames. They know where you live!

The next day after Cornelius' angelic visitation, Peter had an open vision and a divine visitation letting him know that it was okay for him to speak to the Gentiles. According to the culture and tradition, it was illegal for Peter, a Jew, to speak with the Gentiles. At first Peter had a struggle with the idea of preaching to the Gentiles, but God showed him that He has no prejudice and that Peter should not either.

Peter went to Cornelius' household and preached the word of the Lord. All who heard his words, even though they were Gentiles, were saved, and the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them.

In these last days, we are going to see the involvement of the ministry of angels in the salvation of our loved ones. The angels didn't preach the Gospel, but they directed Cornelius to the person who could preach it.

Angelic Guidance for Philip

A similar situation happened with Philip in Acts 8 when an angel spoke to him and said, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza"

(Acts 8:26).

Philip obeyed and went to the desert region.

Then the Holy Spirit told him to go to the chariot that was passing through that region and interpret the Scripture to the Ethiopian eunuch, a man of great authority.

Acts 8:35 says Philip "...preached Jesus to him." As a result, the eunuch was saved and Philip baptized him in water. (v. 38.)

The angels of God always work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and in agreement with the Word of God.

Angel Brings Message to John on Isle of Patmos

The revelation of Jesus Christ was given to John on the Isle of Patmos through an angel. John was a prisoner for the Lord. An angel came to him and gave him a message for the seven churches in Asia Minor. That message was also for all churches of all time: Blessed are those who hear, read and obey this prophecy.

At the end of that revelation, John said:

Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

Revelation 22:8,9

Keep Your Focus on Jesus!

Even though we are learning about angels, our focus should be on Jesus Christ. Our worship is not to be of angels, nor are we to have some strange attachment to angels. We are to believe in them, know about them and expect them to work in our behalf, but notice what the angel said to John: "... I am your fellow servant...of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book.... " Then the angel commanded John, "Worship God."

An angel sent from God always directs worship toward God, just as the Holy Spirit always directs worship toward the Lord Jesus Christ.

4

Releasing the Ministry of Your Angel

Is your angel working on your behalf? Is he standing idly by, or is he active and operative in your life? How do you activate your angel? What can you do to make sure your angel is not limited?

Throughout Scripture, there are many incidents that involve angels. They are "servant" spirits, assigned to work on your behalf.

What can we do to cooperate with God's plan for divine protection? Psalm 103:19,20 gives a clue:

The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.

Angels are created beings. One violation of God's law and they are out. They have no chance for redemption. That happened to Lucifer, who was once an archangel. He was the covering cherub who led the worship in heaven, but he rebelled. He was kicked out of heaven, along with one-third of the angels who rebelled with him.

Many people have the idea that angels are like the picture on valentine cards of a fat baby with a bow and arrow! You need to get a picture of the angels as they really are—big and mighty, excelling in strength.

A few years ago, as I was preaching, a member of our staff, Jerry Popenhagen, saw the angel who stands behind me in an open vision. That same day, we went to a fellowship dinner in Bartlesville where another person who had been in the congregation saw the angel. Jerry and this person both gave the same description, "He is big!"

Angels hearken to the voice of God's Word. They execute and enforce the Word of God. So how does that relate to you? When you believe and receive God's Word in your heart and speak it out of your mouth, you are born again. You become a child of God, you have the life of God and you have the Spirit of God. You have the shield of faith, which is the sword of the Spirit. You have the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness. He imparts His life and nature into you. When you speak the Word of God in faith, the angels hearken in obedience to it.

It is your continual faith confession of the Word which enables God to work on your behalf. When you say, "I don't know what is going to happen...I am liable to have an accident...You never know if you are going to be protected or not," you literally tie the hands of the angels. They can't hearken to the commandment of God's Word, because they are not in agreement with the words that are coming out of your mouth. They are stopped in their operation or activated by the words coming out of your own mouth.

When you say, "Lord, thank You that I am redeemed from the curse and I am delivered from destruction," the angels are able to move. They hearken to the commandment of the Word.

Let me give you an illustration. Electrical lights don't work by magic. There is a generator at a dam that produces power. Then power lines carry it into your city, and it is distributed into homes and buildings. When you flip a switch, there are laws that are at work to give light.

Some people think the Kingdom of God is magic. When you believe God, though you don't see it, angelic hosts are released who move at the speed of light to operate in your behalf. Whether you see them or feel them makes no difference. The Bible says they hearken to the commandment of the Word of the Lord.

Here is another illustration. Abraham had a covenant with God. He was in relationship with God. His relative, Lot, lived in the wicked city of Sodom. When the wickedness of Sodom became so bad that God had to destroy it, He said, "I can't do this without first telling Abraham."

Abraham talked to God in intercession, asking Him if He would not destroy Sodom for the sake of fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, or ten righteous people. There weren't ten righteous people, so judgment was going to fall, but before it fell, God moved to protect Abraham's relatives. If you have relatives who aren't living for God, it may be your prayers that are standing between them and annihilation.

Because of Abraham's intercession, God sent in His troops—His angels. The angels went into Sodom and spoke to Lot, Lot's wife, his two daughters and sons-in-law, urging them to get out of the city. The two sons-in-law were so caught up in immorality that they didn't want to leave.

Let's briefly look at this account in Genesis 19:12-17:

Then the men said to Lot, "Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!

"For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it."

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city."

And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."

Angels are released to bring God's mercy to us. Once Lot and his wife and daughters fled Sodom, the supernatural judgment of God began to fall.

Verse 26 says, "But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

She became a pillar of salt because she had lost her godly flavor! Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men"

(Matthew 5:13).

Lot's wife, who knew there was a real God in heaven and knew the covenant God had made with Abraham, was caught up in the immorality, iniquity and ungodliness. Sodom got inside of her, and she was still controlled by that spirit. Physically, she was free of the destruction that was falling, but God judges the heart. This woman was judged, because her heart was filled with Sodom!

You may be questioning, "Where were the angels?" Just because angels are involved doesn't mean a person will automatically be saved or delivered from a situation. Angels are sent for the purpose of guarding, delivering and protecting. The two sons-in-law heard the word of the angels, but they didn't heed them. They were burned alive in a downpour of brimstone. Lot's wife disobeyed the word of the Lord to not look back. As a result, she was destroyed by the judgment of God. But, Lot and his daughters were delivered because they heeded the word of the angels. When God speaks to us through angels, we must obey if we want God's protection.

5

Cooperating With Your Angel

You can cooperate with your angel by obeying God's voice, heeding His commandments and listening to the Spirit of God on the inside of you.

Angels are agents of destiny. God spoke to the children of Israel, "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared"

(Exodus 23:20). The children of Israel were brought out of Egypt into the promised land through the direction of angels.

You have a destiny in the earth, and part of the angels' job is to see that you get to where God has determined for you to be. Their job is to assist you to fulfill your mission on the earth.

According to Scripture, it is possible to provoke your angel. Some of the ways are by doubt and unbelief, wickedness, ungodliness, disobeying the voice of the Holy Spirit and transgressing against God's laws.

"Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him."

Exodus 23:21

Only God has the ability to pardon your transgressions, yet He says of the angel, "...My name is in Him."

"But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

"For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off."

Exodus 23:22,23

Psalm 34:7 says, "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them." God's protection through His angels is for those who fear Him. To fear Him is "to depart from evil, or to obey Him." People who hang around evil provoke their angel. That's what happened in the judgment of Lot's wife.

Because she disobeyed the word of the Lord, the ministry of her angel was bound.

The angel of the Lord encamps round about those who fear Him—not those who fear the angel but those who fear God. Then the angel delivers, keeps and guards them. That's why you should live your life in communion with the Holy Spirit, praying, fellowshipping with God, praising, speaking the Word and guarding your lips.

Proverbs 6:2 says, "You are snared by the words of your mouth...." Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

James talked about the tongue, comparing it to the rudder of a ship. Whichever way the rudder turns, so goes the ship. So it is with the tongue. James said the tongue is like the bit in a horse's mouth. Whichever way you turn it, the horse follows.

Speak God's Word, and the angels will assist in the performance of it in your life!

6

Angels Are Fighting for You!

Angels operate in response to faith, while demonic spirits operate in response to fear. That is why when Jesus appeared to people, He said, "Fear not. Don't be afraid."

I believe this is the reason Joshua told his men, "Keep your mouth shut for these six days while we march around Jericho." It is very probable that angels were involved in pulling down the walls of Jericho.

All through the Scriptures, we see the angels of the Lord fighting and winning for God's people. I believe the angels were involved in the Persian Gulf victory. The words General Swartzkopf spoke were, "It was miraculous."

Angels Pose as Soldiers in Mexico

From his experiences as a missionary in Mexico, a friend, Henry Pletcher, shares the story of a village he ministered in where the people accepted Jesus Christ and were baptized in the

Holy Spirit.

The leaders of the chief religion in that area weren't saved and didn't believe in the Holy Spirit or in the power of God. Instead, they were controlled by a priest who gathered a bunch of drunken men together one evening, riled them to kill all of the Christians housed in the huts on the hillsides of the village.

A woman was awakened by the Spirit of God and called to pray. The men with the machetes said later, "As we walked up the hill, suddenly there was a flash of light, and we saw huge soldiers standing in front of every hut." They sobered up in a hurry!

The next day they asked the born-again Christians, "Where did you get all those soldiers?" The Christians knew nothing of it. I say, "Lord, open the eyes of Christians to know there are more who are with us than are with our adversaries."

Angels Sent to Protect Daniel

A decree had been issued that said no one should pray to any other god except the king. When Daniel heard about the decree, he prayed to

God anyway, because the fear of God was in him rather than the fear of man. The fear of man will ultimately cause you to be destroyed, because it stops the ministry of angels. When you have the fear of God in you, angels are activated.

The king was tricked into signing the decree, and before he sent Daniel into the lion's den, he said, "...Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you" (Daniel 6:16).

There is power in confession. The king spent the night fasting and praying. The power of confession and obedience caused God to release the angel. The next morning when the king went in, he said, "...Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" (v. 20).

Daniel responded:

"...O king, live forever!

"My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you."

Daniel 6:21,22

God can still shut the mouth of lions!

Continual Prayer Activates Angels in Peter's Behalf

Acts 12 tells us of Herod, a very wicked man, who wanted to stop the revival in Jerusalem. He sent for the two catalysts of that revival, James and Peter.

Acts 12:2 says he had James killed. He kept Peter and was going to kill him the following day, but Acts 12:5 says, "...Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church." God is no respecter of persons. He sent His angels to deliver Peter because of the constant prayer offered in his behalf.

Peter was sleeping the night before his execution when an angel hit him and said, "Arise quickly!" (v. 7). As he got up, Peter's chains fell off and he started walking. It was like stepping on one of those electronic mats that throws open the door in a supermarket! The door opened of its own accord, and Peter walked out. (Read the entire chapter of Acts 12.) Once again, one of God's angels had come to the rescue.

7

Angelic Deliverance From Death

Years ago, Doris Bolin. a woman in our church, dove into shallow water at Lake Keystone and hit her head on a submerged rock. She broke her neck and was paralyzed instantly. She was lying face down in the water in an isolated area, unable to move.

She said, "Even though I couldn't move, I had all of my senses. And even though I wasn't living for the Lord at that time, I began to pray and cry out to God, asking Him to save me. Although I had been taught against it, out of my belly began to come a language I had never learned." (She began to pray in other tongues.)

She said, "Someone turned me over so I could breathe." Other people began to gather around, and eventually, the ambulance and paramedics arrived.

Today, Doris is walking miraculously. She never saw the person come or go who turned her over in the water. Where did he come from? Angels are all around us!

Thank God, as believers, we have the power through our words to activate our angels.

PERSONAL PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

Father, I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son and that He died on the cross, was buried, resurrected and then ascended to Your right hand.

I renounce every work of darkness and ask You to cleanse me by the power of the Holy Spirit and with Your shed blood, Lord Jesus. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior, and I recommit my life to You today.

Father, thank You for giving your angels charge over me to guard, deliver and keep me. No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for You have redeemed me from the curse by the completed work of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

Lord, I praise You. I repent and ask that You uproot every negative and fear-filled word I have ever spoken. Thank You that You deliver me from destruction. You deliver me from the evil men and women, from calamities and tragedies, by the power of Your Spirit, by Jesus' shed blood, by the authority of Your name, by Your Word and by the operation of Your angels! Amen.

(Signature) ________

(Date) ________

BILLY JOE DAUGHERTY is founder and pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Victory has a Christian school, Bible Institute and Missions Training Center. Other Victory outreaches include taking the gospel via radio and television to North America, along with shortwave radio and television to other nations, plus the distribution of books, tapes, and videos. He and his wife, Sharon, minister God’s healing, saving, and delivering power as a team. Their family works alongside them in the ministry.

Table of Contents

1 The Function of Angels

2 Angels Are Secret. Service Agents

3 Releasing the Ministry of Angels

4 Releasing the Ministry of Your Angel

5 Cooperating With Your Angel

6 Angels Are Fighting for You!

7 Angelic Deliverance From Death

Personal Prayer of Commitment